Some actuation systems for joints currently utilize battery power to actuate movement of one or more components in the system. However, these systems lose approximately 40% of the battery's stored chemical-potential energy into the atmosphere, primarily as heat, which can lead to faster system degradation and safety issues, particularly when operating in close proximity to humans. Also, due to their lower energy density, small batteries require frequent recharging, which is often impractical, and large, heavy batteries that provide longer operation times consume more of the available energy just to accelerate the additional mass of the battery.